The appearance and performance of stars caught the eyes of fans in the 2024 K-League, which opened a “new era of excitement” with 2.5 million visitors per season for the first time in the era of professional football’s paid attendance.
The best star of the year in “Hwaseung” is by far Jesse Lingard of K League 1 FC Seoul.
Lingard, who was a franchise star from England’s prestigious Manchester United (Manchester United) “Sunggol Youth” and also played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, shook the soccer world with the news of his sudden search for the K-League in February.
It was surprising and suspicious at the same time that such a world-famous foreign player had never come to the K-League, and Lingard did not have a special contact with Korea or the K-League.
Lingard, who has been without his team for a while since the end of his contract with the EPL Nottingham Forest after the 2022-2023 season, chose to go to Korea after “seriously considering” Seoul, one of several teams that offered to join.
Lingard, who began accompanying Seoul with great interest from fans at Incheon International Airport on February 5, stood tall as the league’s top star upon entering the country.
There were times when he was away due to knee or hamstring injuries in the aftermath of the actual absence, but Lingard settled in the K-League with six goals and three assists, starting with the first goal of the 19th round penalty against Gangwon FC on June 26.
While Ki Sung-yueng was absent due to injury, he also took charge of Seoul’s “temporary captain” and took center stage, helping Seoul enter the Final A for the first time in five years and finish fourth.
Unlike the image of a “bad boy” that was reported through foreign media when he played in England, Lingard won the love of his fans in the K-League with his professional appearance with both skills and a sense of belonging to the team.
Meeting with fans outside the stadium through various contents and sharing their images with their daughters and enjoying various parts of Seoul through social media also drew “favor.”
The emergence of “Superstar Lingard” became a catalyst for its success.
Seoul attracted 501,091 home spectators to 18 home games this year, opening the “500,000 era” in one season for the first time since the K-League’s paid attendance tally.
In particular, 51,670 people in the second round against Incheon United on March 10, Seoul’s home opener, and 52,600 people in the 11th round against Ulsan HD on May 4, the first day of the Children’s Day holiday, breaking the record for the largest number of spectators in a single K-League game since the introduction of the platform (2013).
Lingard, who was listed as the season’s best 11 striker candidate, is expected to take the lead in Seoul, aiming for a higher place next season.
Among the domestic players, Cho Hyun-woo, the gatekeeper of Ulsan HD, the winning team who won the league’s MVP as a goalkeeper for the first time in 16 years, is considered the first player.
Cho Hyun-woo, who played a role in Ulsan finishing the season with the league’s minimum number of goals (40 goals) by recording 14 clean sheets (no-goal matches), frequently made a strong impression beyond the record by saving the team with a “best show.” 온라인바카라
Cho Hyun-woo, who was mentioned as a strong MVP candidate last year but swallowed the disappointment when defender Kim Young-kwon of the same team was recommended as a candidate, showed his desire to win MVP at every opportunity during this season, and won the league’s best player title with a performance worthy of it.
Gangwon FC, which broke expectations and rose to second place in K League 1, produced several new stars.
Yang Min-hyuk, a “high school student,” scored 12 goals and 6 assists in his debut season, which began with a semi-professional contract.
After being nominated for MVP and receiving the Young Player Award, he was about to join Tottenham in the EPL, and Lee Sang-heon also blossomed his potential.